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In this week’s episode of the MegaMarketer Coachcast, host Justin Jacob interviews Mike Montano. Mike had been a contractor for over 20 years and when he started his business marketing was one of the areas he struggled with. He put in the work and learned that trust and credibility were crucial, which is when the idea for ReviewBuzz came from. Main Questions Asked: How does ReviewBuzz work? Why are reviews important? What are some best practices to dealing with bad reviews? Key Lessons Learned: ReviewBuzz The customer experience is pretty much entirely dependent on your employees. For contractors, it’s not about looking good, it’s about being good. Nothing will move the needle more than the quality of your work. ReviewBuzz is both a review management system as well as a review engagement program. It incentivizes employees and technicians through gamification to deliver better customer experiences. Most employees will not ask for a review, but customer experience management is one of the most important things for the future of contractors. The simplest way to get more reviews is to ask. If you deliver a good experience, the customer will usually be happy to give a review. If they’re reluctant or you think they may not give a good review, that’s an opportunity to address an issue and make it right. If you personalize the ask, it increases the number of customers engaging and the overall number of positive reviews. Most people will leave a positive review if you make it easy to do so. A lot of contractors will be able to relate to the experience of creating positive word of mouth and how referrals can build their business. Today word of mouth is online, people will look to see what others have said about you before making a buying decision. Google competes against companies like Yelp and Facebook, if you want to rank highly for SEO positive reviews matter. Reviews will also impact your ability to upsell additional products and services. When you’re selling your services, it’s not just about the quality of the equipment, it’s also about the quality of the installers. Review show that your installers have a track record of taking care of your customers needs. The most valuable reviews will focus on the experience more than the equipment. 97% of shoppers say review influence their decision one way or another. Displaying reviews can increase conversion rates by up to 200%. The Customer Experience As the algorithms get smarter the consistency of the reviews are becoming more important. You can’t just look good, you have to actually be good. Ideally from the first call to the final install. No one has more of an impact of the customer experience than your employees. When they don’t have to protect their personal reputation, there is not as much commitment on their end. One way you can avoid negative reviews is by giving your potential customer options. If your CSR is booked up, offer to recommend the customer to one of your friendly competitors. Your employees and marketing are the face of your business. Unless there is something in place to encourage accountability in your employees, it can be hard to maintain a consistent customer experience. Dealing With Bad Reviews It’s never too late to go back and apologize. Going above and beyond to make things right can turn a bad review into a good one. Talking to disgruntled and unhappy customers is the perfect opportunity to learn how to improve your business. There is a lot you can learn about your business that you would not be able to otherwise from people who are more than happy to tell you what your company did wrong. Investigate what the issue is, many of the times you can make the issue go away with nothing more than your time and willingness to listen. Your customers don’t care about your brand, they do care about your people. Being remarkable is essentially showing authentic care. If you show that you care about your customer, your customer will reciprocate with a review for your business. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating and review in iTunes! Links to Resources Mentioned justin@hudsonink.com mike@reviewbuzz.com

We are replaying one of the most popular shows and will return next week with a brand new show. Learn how financial news from the past affects us today. We also talk about correlations between hurricanes and retirement planning. We also discuss some of the reason people procrastinate when planning retirement.   Main Questions Asked: How can lessons of 2008 help me today? Can retirement planning help me sleep better at night? Will everything work out if I don’t plan at all?   Key Lessons Learned: Bringing Back Old Financial News Memories of 2008. Protected portfolios only went down around 10%. There was fear and it took a lot of discipline not to make knee-jerk reactions. Making changes when markets are low, and you will miss out on the upswing. Markets go up, and markets go down. The key is to have the proper asset allocation.   Hurricanes and Retirement Planning The eyewall replacement cycle. The strongest winds in a hurricane are the winds closest to the eye. When the inner winds weaken. it's like the hurricane is shedding its dead weight and becoming more powerful. Your retirement plan should work the same way. As you get closer to retirement your growth investments shouldn't be the same. You should shed your growth investments and shore up with income growing investments. Being without power. If you're going to be without power for any period, you have to have a backup plan. Your investment should be the same way. If your paychecks are going to stop. Do you have everything you need to keep functioning without them. How computer models and meteorologists bring two different things to the table. Some use their gut, and some completely rely on computer models. It's very similar in the investment world. Computer programs can tell us a lot, but they are not a replacement for wisdom. The biggest job of a financial advisor is keeping you from doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.    Reasons Why People Procrastinate When it Comes to Financial Planning My parents never planned, and everything worked out fine for them. Things were different in those days. People had pensions, and Social Security made up a bigger part of income. We have to do better and save in our 401(k)s and manage the money properly. There are so many voices, we just don't know who to listen to. Our access to so much information has caused more confusion. Find one or two good advisors to simplify things. Dealing with financial stuff stresses me out. Sometimes when people get overwhelmed, they avoid things. Find someone you can trust to walk you through things. Once you have a good plan in place, your stress levels will go down. I'm just too busy. It's about priorities. If you are too busy to put a retirement plan in place, there will be a heavy price to pay. There is a good chance, you are taking more risk than you need to be. It's time to get a good plan in place.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Downloadable Article: Procrastination & Deadline Pressure Thank you for listening!  

We talk about what to do when the market goes down and how to prevent getting hit with big losses. We also talk about when to buy, sell, and rebalance your portfolio. We also discuss what to look at when you get your retirement plan statement.   Main Questions Asked: How can I create a portfolio that will avoid big losses when the market takes a hit? If the market is going down what should I do with my 401(k)? What should I look for on my retirement statement?   Key Lessons Learned: We have been due for a market correction. I don't know if it's going to happen right now. There are several things to acknowledge and realize. The market was up a little for the year as of the end of October. A lot of stocks were already down when we got hit with this October volatility. Five tech companies make up 20% of the S&P 500. You have a well-diversified portfolio you’re not weighted like the S&P 500. You're not gambling on technology stocks. With our clients we get the diversification right. We spread money across different asset classes and have some of the money safe. If the market drops 20% in theory your investments will only drop 10%. If you're concerned about the market going down or a bear market beginning call us or another financial advisor and make sure that your portfolio is diversified correctly. We believe in getting a reasonable rate of return but also building principal protection into the portfolio. If you're still working, and your 401(k) is going down it might be a good time to up your contributions. Buy when things are cheap and sell when things are expensive. This also might be a good time to rebalance your portfolio. What funds are you invested in? Have you based your portfolio on recent performance or long-term goals? If you are over 55, it's a good idea to just earn a certain interest rate on principle to offset volatility in the market.   Is it Okay to Have Volatility If You're Not Working? The price of keeping up with inflation is having some volatility. You need to have some portion of your portfolio exposed to stocks. If you don't have a plan, you need to get a plan. We have a complimentary money map retirement plan that can help you create a portfolio that guards against volatile markets.   Taking the Mystery Out of Your Retirement Plan Statement How reliable are Income projections? They're not reliable. Projections have all kinds of variables. What's up with the asset allocation summary? There are pie charts that show each individual fund and how much money you have in each of those funds. Pie charts that show different asset classes are more helpful. This just shows where you are exposed in different asset classes. You don't want to be overexposed in any area. People don't always see the fees listed on their 401(k). In many cases, it's not on your account but the administration fee is in there. There are other fees and costs that are difficult to calculate. Cheapest is not always best, but you need to understand the fees. Things you should be aware of in the fine print. It doesn't hurt to read the fine print and try to understand how things work.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Thank you for listening!

Learn about some of the common parallels between football and investing. Learn how to save on taxes and not negate your retirement gains with a big tax hit. We also talk about bonds.   Main Questions Asked: How do I avoid getting hit with a big tax bill after retirement? What is the difference between bonds and bond funds? Are bonds really a safe investment? Should I take extra risk to make up for lost savings?   Key Lessons Learned: Parallels Between the Game of Football and Retirement Planning The red zone. The red zone is the last 20 yards before a team gets into the end zone. In retirement planning, the red zone is the last 5 to 10 years before you retire. Mistakes are much costlier during this time. It's so important that you make the right decisions during this critical time. The hurry up offense. This is where they have no huddle and just go fast, fast, fast. This is something they do when they are behind. This strategy doesn't work in retirement planning. If you are behind, it's very tempting to take more risk but it's not a good idea. Victory formation. When you have a win in your grasp, sometimes all you have to do is avoid fumbling the ball. Once you've won the game, why keep playing? This applies to financial planning. If you met your goal, don't continue to play the game if there's a chance you could lose. Take the risk out of your portfolio. A good coach can change the game. Build a great system and you don't have to find the superstars. Great teams have great coaches, and this also applies to financial planning. Most people need a good coach or advisor to do proper financial planning.   How Bonds Work With stocks you own a piece of the actual company. If you own a bond, it means you have loaned the company’s money. Bonds are safer than stocks from a legal standpoint, a company must give you your money plus interest when a bond matures. Bond funds are different. They never mature. There are pros and cons of owning a bond fund. You need to sit down with a financial advisor and decide if a bond fund or individual bonds are best for you. Misconception. Bonds are always safer than stocks. Interest rates are going up right now so use bond alternatives. There are much better alternatives for safety and reasonable interest.   How to Save Money in Taxes Your taxes in retirement will probably be higher. Tax rates not only go up, but people have saved more money than they thought. Deferred taxes can also be taxed time bombs. When one spouse passes away, the income may drop a little bit, but the surviving spouse has the file as single. Freeze the growth of your IRA. Sometimes this money should be taken out first and other investments should be left alone. A lot of people get taxes wrong. They think they should defer as long as possible, but when we do the math, there are other strategies that would be better. Invest in a Roth IRA. Earnings are tax-free. You have a lot of control and flexibility with this investment.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Thank you for listening!

Today, you will learn about the questions people have when they are forced to retire and the three emotions that can affect financial planning greed, fear, and hope. We also talk about current news.   Main Questions Asked: How to prevent my emotions from getting in the way of proper retirement planning? Should I accept a buyout or take my pension in one lump sum?   Key Lessons Learned: In the News Whenever there's a natural disaster there's a whole lot of bad actors who come in and take advantage of people. We hope people affected by Hurricane Florence aren’t being taken advantage of by shady characters or price gouging. Young people think older folks took Facebook away from them, and that's why they are doing Instagram and other social media platforms. Facebook has been a wonderful tool for grandparents to stay in touch and track what's going on in the lives of their kids and grandkids. However, there was a data breach of 50 million profiles. You need to be careful if you use Facebook as a login for other accounts. It's a good idea to use some type of service like LifeLock, so you know if there is a breach of your information.   People Who Are Being Forced Into Retirement Joel wrote Forced to Retire, and it addresses this group of folks. This book will tell you the 7 things you need to figure out to make sure that you are on a proper financial footing for the rest of your life.   Questions People Have and How to Get to the Answer When Forced to Retire Should I accept a retirement buyout offer? Pretend money is not an issue and think about what you would want to do. Do you enjoy going to work? Do you feel like it's a big part of your life? Removing money from the situation can help you decide if a retirement buyout offer is for you. You also need to do an income analysis to make sure that you will be okay if you do retire today. You need to have enough money to cover all your needs for the rest of your life. Should I accept a pension buyout and receive a lump sum?This depends on your circumstances. Doing an analysis will tell you if you will be better off taking the buyout and rolling it over into another account or taking the guaranteed monthly payment. Should I take my severance as a one-time payment or should I take it over several months? It's usually better to spread the payment over several months. If you take the lump sum, they are going to take taxes out of it as if you made that amount every two weeks. You also need to make sure it doesn't affect your unemployment benefits. Should I try to find another job or just make retirement work? Many people are good savers and lived below their means, and they don't actually need to keep working. An income analysis can help you know if you are ready to retire or not. Retirement shouldn't be based on an arbitrary number.   The Role Emotions Can Play in Retirement Planning Greed. No one wants to say they are greedy, but a lot of people say that they are afraid of missing out. This is where greed comes into play. This can get clients into trouble when they start buying high and selling low. Fear in general. Getting scared and selling when you shouldn't, in an effort to protect your money. Fear can cause you to do this that’s why it's important to have a good financial plan. Hope. Hope is not a strategy. Not having a plan and just hoping you have enough to retire can leave you in trouble if an emergency comes along.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Get your free copy of Forced to Retire Get your free copy of Lump Sum Pension Payment Guide 1-800-705-1232 Thank you for listening!

Today, we learn how to deal with uncertainties that relate to our retirement. We also talk about important decisions that we need to get right before we retire, because they can't be changed later.   Main Questions Asked: How can I focus on the things that I can control? How can I create the best plan to overcome things like longevity risk and tax rate increases?   Key Lessons Learned: How to Deal With Retirement Uncertainties How to plan what we know that we don't know. Life expectancy. A healthy 65-year-old could live to 95. Many people will live past 100. It's important to have income and give yourself raises for inflation. Plan to be alive until the age 100. Changes in interest rates. Your portfolio is affected by changes in interest rates. Interest rates affect bond rates. If the bond interest rate goes up, you don't make any money. If you're near retirement, you need a significant amount of assets that can't go down. Look into ETFs and insurance products. Tax rates in the future. There's a good chance that taxes will go up, it might be a good idea to investigate things like Roth conversions. What happens in the market from year-to-year? We have no idea, but we need to be careful of the averages. Especially since many investors switch in and out, and don't get those averages.   Important Retirement Decisions You Need to Get Right When you start your Social Security. Starting Social Security is a irreversible decision. You need to consider your individual circumstances and include Social Security as one income source in your overall plan. Whether you should take the spousal benefit on your pension. There are so many different options. It's important to get help with making this decision. There are things you can do, like take the full benefit plan but purchase life insurance. Whether or not to get life insurance. You need to weigh all of your options before dropping life insurance, or if you need life insurance get a decision as possible. Choosing a retirement date can be emotionally irreversible. It's critical to choose a retirement date that works for you, because it's hard to get back into the workplace. Plus, there are emotional drawbacks.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Thank you for listening!

Learn how financial news from the past affects us today. We also talk about correlations between hurricanes and retirement planning. We also discuss some of the reason people procrastinate when planning retirement.   Main Questions Asked: How can lessons of 2008 help me today? Can retirement planning help me sleep better at night? Will everything work out if I don’t plan at all?   Key Lessons Learned: Bringing Back Old Financial News Memories of 2008. Protected portfolios only went down around 10%. There was fear and it took a lot of discipline not to make knee-jerk reactions. Making changes when markets are low, and you will miss out on the upswing. Markets go up, and markets go down. The key is to have the proper asset allocation.   Hurricanes and Retirement Planning The eyewall replacement cycle. The strongest winds in a hurricane are the winds closest to the eye. When the inner winds weaken. it's like the hurricane is shedding its dead weight and becoming more powerful. Your retirement plan should work the same way. As you get closer to retirement your growth investments shouldn't be the same. You should shed your growth investments and shore up with income growing investments. Being without power. If you're going to be without power for any period, you have to have a backup plan. Your investment should be the same way. If your paychecks are going to stop. Do you have everything you need to keep functioning without them. How computer models and meteorologists bring two different things to the table. Some use their gut, and some completely rely on computer models. It's very similar in the investment world. Computer programs can tell us a lot, but they are not a replacement for wisdom. The biggest job of a financial advisor is keeping you from doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Reasons Why People Procrastinate When it Comes to Financial Planning My parents never planned, and everything worked out fine for them. Things were different in those days. People had pensions, and Social Security made up a bigger part of income. We have to do better and save in our 401(k)s and manage the money properly. There are so many voices, we just don't know who to listen to. Our access to so much information has caused more confusion. Find one or two good advisors to simplify things. Dealing with financial stuff stresses me out. Sometimes when people get overwhelmed, they avoid things. Find someone you can trust to walk you through things. Once you have a good plan in place, your stress levels will go down. I'm just too busy. It's about priorities. If you are too busy to put a retirement plan in place, there will be a heavy price to pay. There is a good chance, you are taking more risk than you need to be. It's time to get a good plan in place.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 The Ultimate 401(k) Guide Thank you for listening!

Learn how you can improve your finances according to what is going on in your life and what you can aspire to when it comes to retirement and finances.   Main Questions Asked: How can I set my finances up to have a great retirement? How can I improve my finances now? What do I need to be thinking about if I'm between jobs?   Key Lessons Learned: Is now the time to pursue a new career? First, you should ask if you need to work more. If you do then maybe it is time to change careers. Do you want to explore a new career path or do you want to stay within the same field? Can you work for yourself? Do you have a skill that other people may not have? Is a shift in your job a blessing in disguise? What about health insurance? In my book, Forced to Retire, I talk about the seven things that you need to answer for yourself to get your financial house in order. If you have been forced to retire, health insurance is a big one. You have an option called COBRA, but that may not be the best option for you. The exchanges may be more affordable. What do you do with your 401(k)? Is this a good time for a 401(k) rollover? If you have a 401(k), the company is the client, not you. If you want to be the client, you need to roll the money over into an IRA. This gives you more flexibility, control, and the ability to convert it into a Roth IRA. If we get a severance, how do we handle it? Can you take it in a lump sum or a monthly installment? Monthly installments are better for budgeting and tax purposes. If you don't need the money, can you leave it in the bank? I'm a huge fan of having cash on hand. It's a position of strength. Is this an opportunity for some type of tax planning? Anytime there's a shift in income, it is an opportunity for tax planning. You may have tax implications to think about.   Rules of Thumb That May Be Helpful for Retirement Planning The rule of 100. Rules are starting points for discussion. They should be a catalyst. Take 100 and subtract your age, the number left over is the percentage of your money that should be at risk. The 75% rule. Once you retire, you are going to need 75% as much income as you had while you were working. This is one rule that should really be ignored completely. Most people want more income during retirement, because they are going to do more things. Other people may need even less. You need to figure this out with a good solid plan specific to your situation. The 4% rule. Add up the total of all your investments and then take 4% of that out a year. This rule isn't very scientific and you are taking a lot of risk if you use it. You need a customized income retirement plan. The rule of five. This means, on average, we experience a bear market about every five years. We are way overdue. We haven't had a really bad market since 2008.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Forced to Retire Thank you for listening!

We are replaying our most popular podcast episode and will return next week with a brand new show.   Today, we learn about five very important things you need to watch out for in retirement. These apply whether you are already in retirement or if you are getting ready to retire. Saving and investing is the easy part. Things get complicated when it comes to like withdrawing money, claiming benefits, and so on.   Main Questions Asked: How can you avoid simple mistakes that can trigger unnecessary fees? How can you avoid trap doors that can erase decades worth of hard work and sacrifice? How can you have an organized strategy and protect yourself long before you retire?   Key Lessons Learned: The Five Crippling Penalties That Can Blindside You in Retirement The social security early enrollment penalty. We are talking about leaving a lot of money on the table that you have earned. We want to make sure that you get all of that money back that you put into the system. If you start collecting benefits at age 62, you will receive 25% less per month than if you waited for full retirement age. Waiting may not mean that you are getting more because you have given up four or five years-worth of checks. Everyone’s situation is unique and requires a unique strategy. Medicare late enrollment penalties. There are all kinds of rules for Medicare. If you don’t sign up during the months near your 65th birthday it can result in dramatically increased premiums for the rest of year life. You should sign up three months before your 65th birthday or within eight months of leaving a job with health coverage. 401k and IRA early withdrawal penalties. I never or almost never recommend that people take money early out of a 401k or IRA. There is a 10% withdrawal penalty from an IRA if you withdraw before age 59 1/2 and before age 55 with a 401k. Roth accounts allow more flexibility. You can take an early withdrawal from your contribution amount. If you have company stock in a 401k and you roll it over, you can lose a potential tax break. It is extremely important to consult with an expert when making these decisions. Excessive investment fees and expenses. Half of the people with investments don’t understand the fees and expenses they pay. This is a fast way to lose money without realizing it. The best plan is to minimize expenses. 67% of Americans don’t think they pay any fees. This isn’t even possible. Three to four percent in fees can add up very quickly. Reducing fees is one of the best ways to put money back in your pocket. Required minimum distribution penalty. People are shocked when the IRS forces them to take money out of retirement accounts when they are 70 ½. This can push you into a higher tax bracket and cause you to pay higher Medicare premiums. There are no required minimum distributions with a Roth.   Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Thank you for listening!  

Learn answers to the common 401(k) questions that many people have. Learn how to use your 401(k) to your utmost advantage and keep an eye on your investments.   Main Questions Asked: How can I get the most out of my 401(k)? Is now the time to rebalance and protect some of the gains that my investments have made?   Key Lessons Learned: Listener Questions What do I do about health insurance when retiring before age 65? Before retiring, you need to create an income plan and see if you have enough money to retire and afford your insurance premium. Which is better: term life insurance, universal life insurance, or whole life insurance? This depends on your circumstance, but for most people term insurance with 10x your income is a good idea. Can I spend money after retiring? Sometimes this is fear based. A financial plan can ease your mind. It could be a family philosophy but having a good plan can ease fears about spending after retirement.   Common Questions Asked About 401(k) Plans Should I use the advice from my company plan? This advice is better than nothing. It’s basic asset allocation advice. It’s not true financial planning. Should I contribute as much as I can? Most should. Especially up to the max. Save 15% of your income. Should I use a target date fund? It’s better than nothing and takes emotions out of it. You are better off talking to a qualified financial advisor. Is taking a 401(k) loan a bad idea? Yes. Don’t touch this money. When should I roll over my 401(k)? When you leave the company. Consolidate and talk with an advisor for a plan that covers the whole picture.   Income Planning Essentials Plan on being retired for decades not just years. Retirement has changed. People are living longer. Plan to be retired for 30 years. Don’t ignore inflation. If you live longer, you need to get raises each year to protect against inflation. The power of inflation and the cost of living can make people run out of money. Taking social security at the wrong time. The less money you have, the longer you should wait. People with more money should take it earlier. It depends on your circumstance. Understand all of your income generating investment options. Bonds, preferred options, REITs, and many other options are out there.     Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 The Ultimate 401(k) Guide Thank you for listening!

In this week’s episode of the MegaMarketer Coachcast, hosts Scott Smith and Justin Jacobs discuss list segmentation and why fishing in the right pond is the best way to catch fish. Main Questions Asked: How can I get the most out of my existing customer base? What does it mean to develop a customer avatar? How can I improve response rates? What is the best way to grow my list? How can I target a specific area without wasting money? What should my average value per customer be? What demographics should I look at when selecting a list? Do you have a recommendation for the number of prospects I should send to? Where can I get a list of prospects for my area? Key Lessons Learned: Loyalty Loyalty is a very popular word these days and it stretches across industries. Technology has enabled price shopping in retail but less so with larger purchases. In those situations, customers are looking for expertise. Price shopping may get the customer in the door, but service will keep them coming back. You don’t want to be the lowest priced contractor, there will always be someone willing to go lower and there will be zero loyalty. Some of the biggest service businesses see the first call as a loss leader. Set the expectation early that your company is different and then exceed the expectation and follow up. Marketing is a momentum process, it takes time to become impactful. Avatars You need to know who your customer is. When you understand the demographics and motivations of your customer avatar you can ‘fish in the right pond’. You can learn who makes the best customer for your business and figure out what market is the best one to target. There is an immense amount of data that you can use to target on a list, once you have it take advantage of it. Having a customer avatar allows you to customize your message to speak directly to your ideal customer. Direct Mail More people have been turned away from direct mail by using every door direct than any other service. Scatter shot marketing is the opposite of having a customer avatar. Everyone is not your customer. If you’re not getting a return on your marketing efforts, it doesn’t matter how cheap each piece was. The piece is less important than the list. Everytime you send something out, think about the audience that is seeing it. If the piece is bad, change it. If you want to target a specific area, you have to get to know the area and do what you can to create a presence there. A bill board can be useful but it is not a direct response piece. If you’re not trying to aggresively grow, you should be sending out 70% of your mail to existing customers and 30% to new customers that are as similar to your existing customers as you can manage. List Building It depends on your definition of a customer, you can grow your list in 3 minutes if you’re not picky. Identify your customer avatar and market aggresively. Spending 8%-10% of your annual revenue on marketing is a rule of thumb if you want to double your revenue next year. People have to be able to know who you are in order to respond to you. If you’re only seeing your customers one time, you are actually going in the wrong direction and are probably losing money in long run. Acquisition is far more expensive than retention. Look at household income, age of the head of the household, the age of the home when selecting the demographics for a list. The best way to get something out of a list is consistency. If you can have someone call behind a direct mail piece you can increase the effectiveness exponentially. Value If you look at your average customer base of people you’ve done business with in the last 48 to 60 months, the average value per customer should be around $500. If your number is a lot higher than that, you are probably doing a lot replacements. If it’s less, you probably don’t have a process of service agreements and are more service based. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating and review in iTunes! Links to Resources Mentioned Call your coach 1-800-489-9099 justin@hudsonink.com scott@hudsonink.com coaches@hudsonink.com

How hot stock tips usually happen after the stock has had its run. Invest to create income. Your retirement isn’t something to play around with. Today, we learn what a good solid overall retirement plan looks like and the retirement pyramid. We also talk about risk aversion. Main Questions Asked: How to create a plan that generates income for the rest of your life? How to structure a solid retirement plan? What are the main parts of the retirement pyramid? What is risk aversion? Key Lessons Learned: The Retirement Pyramid The bottom part of the pyramid should protect against risk. These are things like life insurance, home owner’s insurance, long-term care insurance, and maybe some type of umbrella policy. Without insurance protection you could lose everything. Insurance simply covers the risk that can take away your assets. It makes sense to have insurance. Long-term care insurance. This is a big one everyone should analyze whether they need long-term care insurance, because if you do need it you could be paying over $10,000 a month. The middle part of the pyramid should be guaranteed income. This is consistent income that you can count on living on for the rest of your life. This includes things like pensions and Social Security. Guaranteed income. This means anything you need to create paychecks for life. Social Security, a pension guaranteed by a big company, a portfolio that is structured for income. You could even have some insurance products like annuities or guaranteed investment contracts. The top part should be your long-term investments. These are stocks, bonds, CDs, and mutual funds. These are discretionary as you can change investments from time to time and take income out. Some people make their investments the foundation of their pyramid, but if you think about it the pyramid is flipped upside down and unstable. Once your risk is taken care of, it is then time to grow your network. Now it's time to decide if you have the right portfolio based on your risk tolerance and things that have happened in your life. The investment piece needs to be on the top of the pyramid. Risk Aversion People rarely say that they are risk averse. It's important for a good financial advisor to listen to a client to understand what they are describing when it comes to their tolerance for risk. When people say words that mean they are risk-averse, their financial advisor needs to be cautious with managing their money. They need to explain the risk of a downturn in the market, and make sure that the client is comfortable with that. It's a professional’s job to probe into what the client is telling them and completely understand their potential for risk. Often, people don’t understand that their portfolio is filled with all kinds of risk. Sometimes they are getting bad advice, or they are managing their own money and don’t understand what could happen in a downturn. The market will drop. When this happens, people need to be prepared for that. Part of the problem is not having a plan. You need to do more than just go over investments. When An Investment Isn’t Conservative Analyze your portfolio to understand the percentage you could lose when the market drops. When an account drops it is tempting to get out of the portfolio. Finding a good financial advisor has everything to do with how someone will behave when the inevitable market drop happens. Links To Resources Mentioned Money Map Retirement Review 1-800-757-0436 Thank you for listening!

Todd Tresidder’s background includes getting a B.A. in Economics from University of California at Davis. Todd is a member of the Economics Honors Society and Deans List and has been a serial entrepreneur since childhood building many businesses and retiring at age 35 from his position as a Hedge Fund Investment Manager responsible for a 20+ million dollar portfolio. Todd raised his net worth from less than zero at age 23 to self-made millionaire 12 years later by “walking the talk” using the same personal finance and investment strategies taught on this web site. Todd reached financial independence at the age 35 through investing – not marketing – unlike many other financial gurus who made their money through marketing courses and books. Main Questions Asked: How much money do we need to retire? Is there a point where it’s too late? What does financial coaching mean? Key Lessons Learned: Retirement Planning The default age for retirement has always been 65 but that’s beginning to change. Life spans are getting longer and the length of time people are retired is expanding. This means it takes way more money to support the additional years of retirement and financial independence doesn’t mean the same thing it used too. The new retirement involves having a career in the early stages and accumulating the capital you need for later on. The later stages in your life are focused on fulfillment. Most people think of retirement as a box where you save money for the first 65 years of your life and then you don’t do anything until the day you die, but that’s not the way life goes. They also tend to rely on their financial planner to create the wealth they need to survive when they retire. There are only three asset classes that you can viable for retirement planning and financial independence: Business entrepreneurship, direct ownership of real estate, and owning conventional paper assets. All three are acceptable, they just have different characteristics that have to match up to your needs. Financial planners will always try to sell you the conventional paper assets path but it’s not your only option. If you have a website, you should push people to your site but it depends on your goals for your content. Avoid using your Libsyn link. The advanced planning framework uses a different set of mathematics where you use other asset classes to build wealth. It’s never too late to start planning for retirement, you just need to have different strategies for different ages and skill sets. Almost everybody has the assumption that paper assets are the only real way to reach financial independence, they’re missing the framework they need to understand their other options. Everyone has a conflict of interest on your money except you. That’s why traditional financial plans don’t include non-traditional financial assets. You can delegate authority over your financial assets, but you can never delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do everything yourself, you just need the knowledge to make good decisions. Wealth is math, if you don’t put it to work for you it will work against you. Technology has made a number of business models possible that couldn’t have existed only 5 years ago. Todd was a pioneer of financial coaching in the early days of the internet. A financial coach is an educator, the goal is to make you independent of your relationship with the coach. Once you learn something and act on it, it starts to become ingrained. Final Tips The secret to financial planning is that there is no secret. You just need the knowledge to make good decisions about your wealth. It’s never too late to get started planning your retirement and trying to achieve financial independence! Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating and review in iTunes! Links to Resources Mentioned Seven Steps To Seven Figures https://financialmentor.com/ How Much Money Do I Need To Retire Step 3 Course

Should you advertise on podcasts? On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I chat with Jessica Kupferman, owner of the JKM Agency. We talk about what podcasting agents do, the costs of advertising, live reads, what stats to ask for, call to action, exclusivity, and when to expect results.   Main Questions Asked: How do you make sure the podcaster doing the live read is doing your business justice? Is it appropriate to ask people for their download numbers when considering advertising on a show? How do you ensure the podcaster is doing everything they promised? What does an agent do? What kind of call to action should the ad read have? How long do I have to wait until I see results of advertising on podcasts? Should I want to be the only sponsor on a podcast with exclusivity in mind? What success stories have you heard?   Key Points: Content Marketing Getting interviewed on podcasts is a great way to grow your business. Content marketing strategy is where you put out free and actionable content people can use and implement in their business. This attracts people, as they want to ‘hang' with you and can become clients. This can include blogging, videos, podcasts, emails, and newsletters.   Direct Advertising This is advertising your services and products with the goal of getting people to buy. As a business owner, start thinking about advertising on podcasts.   Advertising on Podcasts Who is your audience, and where do they hang out? How much can you afford? A $500 per month show has 7-10K downloads per month. If you don't want to babysit your ad campaign, you need an ad agency.   Live Read Podcast Advertising The fear is putting your business message in someone else's hands. Provide the host with live read copy points. It's okay to ask someone their download numbers if you are considering advertising on their show.   What Stats to Ask For Audience. Downloads per month. Downloads per episode. Social media community reach (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Email).   Call to Action If the purpose is to get more sales, you need to mention the product, price, and coupon code. If it is brand awareness, a text call to action is effective.   How Long Until I See Results 70% of people are not in front of their computer when they are listening to a podcast.  The key to results is repetition. The advert needs to be played 3-5 in a row. 12 is a good campaign.   Exclusivity It's okay to be one of a few, unless what you are offering is the same as the other advertisers on the show. At the most, podcasters aim for 4 adverts per show.   Resources Mentioned: JKM Agency Mobit Midroll School of Podcasting Interview   Live Webinar:  Text ‘rock' 72000 Jessicarhodes.biz/webinar   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Adrion Porter, who is a brand builder, podcaster, speaker, and consultant, and has a background working for Cartoon Network, HBO, Cinemax, and Citi Group. Adrion's podcast, Gen X Amplified, focuses on empowering Gen X to be stronger leaders in the new media marketplace, define their story, and lead millennials. During the show, we discuss getting big name guests on your podcast early on, networking at live events, and the value of non-celebrity guests.   Main Questions Asked: How did you connect with big name guests and get them on your podcasts early on? Talk about the value that non-celebrity guests bring to your show.   Key Lessons Learned: Multi-Platform Approach Get yourself known in a number of ways such blogging, video, podcasts, social media, conferences. The multi-platform approach for content makes you recognizable and more approachable.   Gen X Amplified Podcast The show focuses on the Gen X generation. Gen X is the generation between the baby boomers and millennials, and are aged mid 30s-50s. The goal of the show is to redefine the narrative and brand and empower Gen X. Before Adrion launched the podcast, he went to Social Media Marketing World to test out the how idea amongst attendees.   Getting Great Guests When you are pre-launch, it's hard to get well known guests to be on your podcast. Get great guests though hustle, determination, a strong purpose, brand, and vision. Create a list of people you have in mind for your show. You need to have a consistent clear message, purpose and target audience, and be able to articulate it. Stick with it and don't change your show strategy. Be consistent in making connections, and find common pieces in conversations and optimize it. 6 degrees of separation is a real thing. Take advantage and work your connections.   Attending Live Events Meeting prospective guests at live events in person is the most effective way.    Develop a relationship before asking your potential guest to be on your podcast. Events such as Social Media Marketing World can be pricey. The way to look at this is that each attendee also made the investment, which brings instant respect.   Guests By Referencing If one of your guests mentions someone in their interview, use the opportunity to reach out to that person and leverage it.  This namedropping method shows you aren't a fan and have already been spotlighted on your show.   5 Things to Articulate When pitching potential podcast guests, you need be clear on the following: 1. Message 2. Branding 3. Audience and target market 4. Show's purpose 5. Staying consistent If you are able to articulate the above, you will be more likely to get great guests regardless of whether the show is pre-launch or established.   Celebrity Guests Regardless of what people say, celebrities will not make or break your podcast. Every guest will bring tremendous value for someone. Your listeners download your show because they like you, not because they like the guest.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio! The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Gen X Amplified Adrion Porter Lee Caraher Episode  

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Nellie Akalp, who is a small business advocate and CEO of CorpNet.com. Nellie has formed more than 100K corporations and LLCs across the US, and has been building companies for more than 18 years. In 2008, Nellie sold her first company to Intuit for $20M, and got straight back in the entrepreneur game. During this episode, Jessica and Nellie discuss trademarks, common law rights, how to get started, working as a couple, and managing a successful team.   Main Questions Asked: How did your law school education impact what you are doing in business? When is the best time to trademark a business name? What is the investment for securing a trademark? What are common law trademark rights? What are your tips for younger married women with kids in the early years of their business? Talk about managing and growing a successful team. What is an example of one thing you have done that contributed to upleveling your business? What percentage of million dollar businesses are owned by women?   Key Lessons Learned: About CorpNet CorpNet provides legal document preparation services to small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start a business.   Trademarks Businesses need to protect their name, brand, logo, and tagline, as well as completing trademark and copyright registration and searches. Trademarks are about protecting your brand from anyone else using it, diluting it, and creating confusion in the marketplace. Trademark protection is about preventing others from using your name, tag line, brand, and logo. If the business is making money, is profitable, and you are planning on building out the business, you should consider trademarking. Having a trademark is one more step to giving you brand recognition and loyalty.   Getting Started with a Trademark Prices start from $149 for the application preparation (in addition to the fees paid to the United States Patent and Trademark Office). Do a free trademark search at the federal level. A nationwide trademark search is $199. If you are doing name and logo, it is $299. The United States Patent and Trademark Office fees range from $325 per class to $375 per class.   Common Law Trademark Rights Common law rights are based on first use of the name. Just by using a name in the marketplace, you are applying rights to that name under the First-use doctrine.   Family & Relationship Tips for Entrepreneurs In running a business with your partner, you have to be linear rather than a hierarchy. You always have to be unified as a couple in front of your team. Mandate date night, and keep it intimate rather than simply just business.   Managing a Successful Team When working with remote team members, their mindset has to be one of an entrepreneurial nature. Whereby everyone is working toward a common goal. A big company is a result of the sum of its parts.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned CorpNet USPTO info@corpnet.com 1-888-281-7111

On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Matt Miller, who is an Air Force veteran that bought one gumball machine and turned it into a franchise business. School Spirit Vending provides hassle-free, year-round fundraising for schools, and during this episode Jessica and Matt discuss business for families, the vending business model, adding value, and long-term commitment in podcasting.   Main Questions Asked: How has being an Air Force veteran helped you in business? Do you think that everyone should have to go through the military at some point? Talk about multi-generations in business. Walk us through the School Spirit Vending business model. How has using podcasting helped to grow your business? What would it take for someone to get started in School Spirit Vending?   Key Lessons Learned: Business for Families Matt spends time fostering an environment where families can build their business together and kids can learn by helping parents. This is not only a way to make money but also a responsibility to teach and help foster growth and inspiration in the kids.   School Spirit Vending Business Model                                                             The business is based on hassle-free, year-round fundraising for schools by placing sticker machines in the school. Spirit stickers are custom designed with school colors and mascots. The goal is to reinvent school fundraising and let professional companies do all the work rather than kids going door-to-door. This is a passive fundraiser for the school. This business takes a couple of days per month to get started as a vendor, but over time it will be a passive income. Each vending machine is a building block of income.   Marlin & Percy Comic book series developed to start inspiring kids through the sticker machines. This increases the value of the service that is offered.   Adding Value Look at what you are already providing your clients and ask yourself how you can make it better. This doesn't mean adding more products and services, but rather making what people are getting more valuable. If you create a win/win scenario, your ‘churn rate' and the need to create more business constantly will be smaller. Provide more value than people expect and continue to innovate, surprise, and amaze clients.   Podcasting Having someone pitch you as a ‘celebrity' and having ‘your people' contact ‘their people' is big. The main investment in podcasting is in time. Matt has found that the people reaching out to him with interest in franchising are pre-qualified, as they have already heard his story. By the time someone contacts Matt, they have already listened to multiple interviews he has done and are 75% of the way there. Matt has found the upper-middle class to be in the podcasting space as listeners. A lot of people don't know about podcasting yet, which means, if you get in now, you will be ahead of the game. Podcasting is a vehicle to create evergreen content. The ROI of a podcast episode isn't necessarily realized as soon as it goes live.   Podcast for Backlinks Backlinks from show notes are directing people to Matt's site, the SEO is rising, and people have been contacting Matt through online searches. The more backlinks you have the better. Google likes it and boosts your site in searches.   Long-Term Commitment Podcasting is a long-term marketing strategy, and people will discover your podcast over months and years. Matt's goal for the next several years is to be a guest expert on a show at least once a week. There are always new audiences, shows, and people looking for new content and solid interviews. In the process, there is plenty of opportunity, but you have to commit and, overtime, it will pay huge dividends. Most people will do their interview or podcast a few times and think that it's a failure and give up before there was enough time to gain traction.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Live Your Dreams School Spirit Vending Marlin & Percy

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Greg Smith, who talks about launching an online course so you have an additional stream of revenue in your business. Greg's company, Thinkific, is a software platform that makes it easy to create, market, and sell online courses. If you are tech challenged, or if you always wanted to create an online course but get overwhelmed, then this is an episode you can't afford to miss!    Main Questions Asked: How much work goes into making a course? What do successful courses look like? What are the biggest mistakes you've seen people make with online courses? What are the price points for courses? How do you market a course? How do you decrease the rate at which people request refunds? What is Thinkific, who is it for, and how do you use it? What is the difference between Thinkific and Udemy? What is the first step to creating an online course?   Key Lessons Learned: Getting Started If you have just one stream of revenue, and that stream goes away, then you are in trouble. Avoid the mistake of, ‘If I build it they will come.' Everything is colored by how you will market, distribute, and who you will share your course with. The bulk in the online course space is on-demand.   Successful Courses It comes down to the value you provide people and showing your customers how you will make their life different once they have completed the course. The delivery method of your course can be via a number of ways, including PowerPoint with voice over, live, or pre-recorded video.   Biggest Mistakes Obsessing over content but not thinking about how best to distribute the content. Don't focus on perfection, or you'll never launch. Just dive in and experiment.   Price Points    Price on trust. Avoid pricing content based on hours of content or size of course. Price based on the value you are giving the customer and the change you are making in their life.   Marketing    Find leads via PPC, Facebook, AdWords, and niche groups. Present a webinar and sell the course at the end.   Refunds The rate of refunds is low when it comes to online courses. Refunds can be avoided by having customer service to deal with any issues.   Thinkific The platform is for people who have a course or knowledge to share but don't have the technical expertise to enact it. Thinkific offers hosting, delivers videos, makes everything mobile, is easy to set up, includes the ecommerce aspect, and enables customers to brand their course as part of their own website. Thinkific takes a 10% commission when customers use the free plan. The $50 flat fee option on Thinkific allows unlimited students and courses with no commission.   Create the Webinar First Get the audience to enroll before you create the webinar. Once you have the audience, then customize based on buyers.   First Steps Start with your chosen topic. If you don't' have a chosen topic, then survey your potential audience and find out what they most want to learn from you.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Thinkific Yammer  

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Rick Martinez, who is a veteran registered nurse, writer, and successful entrepreneur. Rick has been named by San Antonio Business Journal as one of the city's 40 under 40. His first company was named as one of the US Small Business Administration's top 100 companies.  During the show, we discuss purpose hacking, the ‘bink' moment, life pivots, and what Rick learned from his recent book launch.    Main Questions Asked: -       How did you come to decide you wanted to help people discover their purpose in life? -       Do people find their purpose in life through the work that they do? -       What do you mean by the ‘bink' moment? -       How is Project Bink structured, and what does the business look like? -       What is a purpose hack? -       Tell us about the marketing for Project Bink, Purpose Hack, and Life Pivot. -       What were some of the successes and lessons learned from your book launch?   Key Lessons Learned: Have you found your purpose in life? Do you recognize those moments that steer you towards it?   Purpose -       Finding one's purposes is often perceived as finding the meaning of life. Purpose is simply living the life of deeper meaning. -       Rather than going through imposter syndrome and thinking ‘Who am I?' instead make the choice of thinking ‘Why not me!' and change the action to ‘I'm going to do these things.' -       Purpose isn't a thing we have to go and find; it is something that is within and grows within us. -       We shouldn't go chasing after our purpose, but rather chase the things that mean the most to us.  -       Purpose doesn't have an age limitation. There are younger people with their lives together, and older people who don't. -       You don't have to be a monk or climb mountains to find meaning in your life. -       Purpose isn't about one thing, but about taking many things that fulfill us and make us whole.   The Bink Moment -       This is essentially an “ah-ha” moment when you discover the purpose and reason for wholeness in life and the things that fulfill you.  -       Involves asking the question ‘What does this mean' during critical and pivotal life moments. -       Rick offers a simple systematic way for people to find their ‘bink moment' and purpose quicker.   Purpose Hacking -       Hacking is a way to do the things in your life that matter the most to you. -       This is about a bigger picture and a way to create more meaning and value in your life. -       People are into the ‘hacking' lifestyle because they want to serve something bigger and greater than they are.   Marketing & the Book Launch -       Rick approached his marketing efforts from a startup perspective and built a website, established a presence, and added an opt-ins, and pop-ups to capture leads to build the list. -       The biggest mistake in his book launch was taking too long to get the book out, which was two years. -       The book is self-published straight to Amazon and had a release that was pushed out to friends and people within the circle of influence for a free launch copy. -       It's important to decide on the goal of your book. Is it about being a bestseller or promoting the message? -       The strategy was to allow people to get the book for free by using landing pages in order to promote the message.  -       Being a bestseller is an ego boost, but if your book is a marketing tool for your business, then it's about getting into the hands of potential clients.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Project Bink The Power of Bink (Free book)   She Podcasts  (Episode)

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Doug Foresta, who first got into podcasting five years ago and has since interviewed eight hundred people. Doug is the producer of Creating Change, The CoachZing Show, and coaches entrepreneurs on how to podcast and be a great podcast guest. He also helps service professionals expand their reach and attract their ideal clients.  During the show, we discuss how to get celebrity interviews, why podcasting isn't all about downloads, and how to be a great interviewer.   Main Questions Asked: -       How did you learn how to start interviewing people? -       How did you land interviews with big guests when you were so new to podcasting? -       Talk about your philosophy of ‘It's not all about the download numbers.' -       What are your recommendations and do's and don'ts for being a great interviewer? -       Talk about your philosophy and how you approach coaching entrepreneurs. -       How do you bring in the marketing and business side when working with entrepreneurs?   Key Lessons Learned: Podcasting -       Podcasting is still in its infancy as a form. Radio is mass market, and podcasting is a niche. -       Podcasting is about ‘tribe building' and pushing the form. -       You don't have to have a classic broadcasting voice; you just have to be ‘you.'   Getting Celebrity Interviews -       Don't approach interviews with a ‘what can I get' attitude but rather ‘how can I serve and help people.' -       Don't think about ‘getting' a guest, but think about ‘having a conversation.' -       If you give a famous person a platform to talk about something they can't talk about anywhere else, they are more likely to accept your invitation to be on your podcast.   It's Not All About Download Numbers -       Podcasting is not just about the download numbers but about the experience you create. -       An affective way to have a really good show with longevity is to serve your listeners by finding out what they like, make more of it, and turn them into raving fans. -       Rather than focusing on downloads, look at how good your podcast is. Do your listeners e-mail you? Are they joining your e-mail list? Are they part of your tribe and community? -       If you don't create a good podcast, then people won't come back to listen again anyway. -       Podcasting is about the quality of relationships you build with people that can't be measured in downloads.   Interview Tips -       Take improv. classes and get skills in ‘being in the moment.' -       Don't always worry about the next question, but dig deeper with who, what, why, when, where, and how questions. -       Being a great interviewer is a great networking skill and means making the guest shine rather than yourself.   Entrepreneur Podcast Coaching -       Find what you most need to say in your voice. -       Discover your point of view and what is unique in your voice. -       Monetizing your community is about creating raving fans, building an email list, then making offers. -       The brand that starts around your podcast often becomes a new brand for your business.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Doug Foresta Creating Change   The Coachzing Show

On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Lee Caraher who is an entrepreneur and CEO with more than twenty years experience building great high producing intergenerational work teams that get a lot done and have fun at the same time. Lee is an acclaimed communications strategist known for her practical solutions to big problems. She is the founder of Double Forte and has figured out the secret to working well with millennial clients and staffers. Lee is the author of Millennials and Management: The Essential Guide to Making it Work at Work. During the podcast Jessica and Lee discuss the profile of millennials, negativity surrounding the term, and the secret to working with millennials and teams.   Main Questions Asked -       How do you define and what are the characteristics of millennials? -       Talk about your struggle with hiring millennials. -       What was the point where you figured out how to work with millennial clients and staffers? -       What is the secret to working with a different generation?   Key Lessons Learned  -       Everyone wants his or her process to be better but no one wants to have it discounted.   Profile of Millennials -       Millennials are the 15-35 year old age group also known as GenY. -       The midway point for this generation was the year 2000, which is why they are called millennials. -       Even though your age can be in a different generation your mindset can be that of a millennial.   Negativity of the Term Millennial -       The term millennial is often seen negatively and a lot of millennials don't even want to be known as such. -       Millennials can be seen as entitled, job hoppers, expecting rewards just for showing up, and lazy. -       Lee believes that millennials are conditioned by the way they grew up.   Working With Millennials -       If you don't have millennials in your business your business doesn't have a future. -       Lee went back to the basics of leadership management by reading a number of management books. -       Things that work for other generations don't work for millennials. -       If you do things to help millennials get engaged and stick with you, everyone benefits. -       Boomers are the ‘wait my turn' generation but millennials have never had to wait as they've always had instant access. -       Millennials have grown up with amazing access to information and people, the ability to make a change, expectations of access and no hierarchy. -       Millennials require a lot of context and ‘just do it because I said so' won't work. The more you provide context the better.   Two Key Tips for Working With Millennials -       1. Bring the context of your project to the forefront of the conversation and ask for people's input. -       2. Do a project the established way first and then improve it.   Teams & Strengths -       Know what personality types are within your team and don't be afraid to conduct MBTI and Strengths Finders tests. -       Figure out the dynamics within your team so you can accommodate them. -       Regardless of age, discover how people optimize their engagement and how they will work with others. -       WOO is the ability to keep talking until someone comes to your side and believes in you. -       Often when you are young on a team you don't get the creditability for having strategic ability. Strategy isn't earned it is a strength. -       It takes 30-60 days to get used to new processes. -       If you're not easy to work with then you don't have a business in the client service economy.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Lee Caraher Double Forte Millennials and Management (book) The Art of Conversation (book) Stephen Covey Daniel Goleman Pat Lencioni Strength Finders MBTI

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, Jessica Rhodes interviews Rachel Olsen, who is the founder of Best Mom Products, a media strategist for mom entrepreneurs and number one bestselling author of Shark Tank Mompreneurs. Rachel is also the co-founder of Getapplr.com, a social network to discover your friends' favorite apps and share yours too. During the show, Jessica and Rachel discuss branding, messaging, mompreneurs, and what it takes to get on Shark Tank.   Main Questions Asked: -       How did you get started in entrepreneurship, and how did you become an expert in your field? -       How do you help mom entrepreneurs do their own PR, and what do you teach them? -       Tell us what your book is all about and where we can grab a copy.   Key Lessons Learned: Messaging -       Messaging is made up of branding, marketing, and public relations. -       Your message will change depending on the audience you talk to. -       An investor talk will be different to speaking with the media.   The Problem with Messaging in Social Media Age  -       A lot of entrepreneurs struggle with messaging because it's so transparent in the social media age. -       How do we talk to all people at once? -       What do we put out there from a media perspective? -       How do we tailor the message for multiple audiences at once?   Your Brand -       Everyone has a personal brand. -       Others tend to think about the person and then what they do, rather than the brand first. -       Your brand is what people say about you when you're not around. -       Start listening to what people say about you, and curate photos that capture that personality. -       Ensure your branding photos communicate your personality. -       Mastermind with people who see you from the outside and can provide feedback. -       If you have brands and sub-brands, you have to figure out the overarching message.   Branding -       This is how you communicate yourself, your business, and your message online. -       You need to know what message you are communication through your design. -       It is better to outsource your personal branding, as you are too close to it.   Doing Your Own PR -       Anyone can do their own PR, but it takes a while and you need to be educated about the process. -       It is common to pay a PR firm $2K per month for them to just pitch you to outlets. -       Look at what is trending and think about where you fit with that. -       When it comes to PR and media, there is only so much in your control. -       The best pitch is only good if the other party is interested. -       It is beneficial to do a full website audit and assess where your messaging and branding is on each page.   Shark Tank   -       The sharks don't have profiles on the entrepreneurs prior to on-air recording. -       Each 7 minute segment can take more than an hour of filming in order to ‘wear down' the entrepreneurs and get the best reality TV content. -       People rarely say anything negative about Shark Tank, as they fear no longer being a ‘friend of the show' and getting a second chance. -       None of the women in the Shark Tank Mompreneur book said going on the show was the best thing they did in their business. -       A lot of people want to go on the show just to get the Shark's advice over the hour period.   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Best Mom Products Shark Tank Mompreneurs (book) Getapplr.com The Podcast Producers

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, Jessica Rhodes interviews Josh Turner who is the founder of Linked Selling, a B2B marketing firm specializing in fully outsourced LinkedIn lead generation campaigns. Josh's company represents clients, such as Neil Patel and Microsoft, and also operates Linked University, which is an online training program for LinkedIn marketing. During the show, Jessica and Josh discuss how to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile, how frequently you should update your feed, and the do's and don'ts of connecting.   Main Questions Asked: -       How did LinkedIn become your main platform and area of expertise? -       Tell me about LinkedIn ads. -       How is LinkedIn different to Facebook, and how should you be interacting with people? -       In order to send someone an Inbox message on LinkedIn, do you have to have a mutual connection? -       Is there a feature on LinkedIn that shows you mutual contacts? -       What types of things should you post on LinkedIn updates, how often, and is it a running feed? -       What are the do's and don'ts on setting up and maintaining a LinkedIn profile?   Key Lessons Learned: -       It depends on your business as to whether LinkedIn ads are great or not. -       LinkedIn ads or a sponsored update will see a higher cost per click. -       Click cost isn't what matters. It is about the cost for a lead and cost for a sale. -       For a campaign that is working well on LinkedIn, you can expect to see $6-10 per lead for a webinar opt-in or free report.   LinkedIn vs. Facebook -       LinkedIn is more professional and used for business. -       It's the template stock scripts inbox emails that give LinkedIn a bad name. -       If you take the time to develop the relationship first, then the success increases. -       People spend more time on Facebook than they do on LinkedIn. -       LinkedIn's data says that 40% of its users check in at least once a day.   What Works on LinkedIn -       Make messages personal and informal so that the receiver feels as though you only sent the message to them. -       Be personal and avoid talking in marketing speak. -       Before you earn to right to send someone a message you have to get his or her attention first. -       Stay top of mind in a way that provides value, and position yourself as a resource and authority in the market.   Connecting on LinkedIn -       Free LinkedIn accounts grant you access to people within a certain degree of you. -       Higher-level premium accounts allow you to find anyone on LinkedIn and message them. -       Another way to message someone is to contact them through a common group. -       A frequent mistake people make is not including a personal message when sending a connection request. -       If you include a personal message when asking someone to connect with you, then 50-75% will say yes. -       Using ‘shared connections' is a great way to prospect, as you can leverage common connections you have.   LinkedIn Updates -       This is a running feed, so you should post content daily in order to stand out. -       People will get quickly turned off if your content focuses on your own business, so be sure to also include curated content. -       Share a balanced mix of resources in order to become a trusted authority.   LinkedIn Profile -       Focus on making a solid profile so that when you get views it entices people to take the next step. -       Structure your profile headline or summary section with a call to action.   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Linked Selling Linked University Josh's LinkedIn Connect (book) 

Networking is not collecting contacts; networking is about planting relations. On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Mike Bruny who is a speaker, author, certified life coach, and an alum of the Boston-based Leaders of Color Development Program Inc. Mike believes we are all ambassadors and stand for ‘something,' so he is on a mission for individuals to discover and live their ‘something.' Mike's runs The New Art of Conference Networking, which helps conference organizers create the kind of environment that fosters people to make great connections. If you want to know how to make meaningful connections at your next conference or event, then this podcast has some awesome tips for you.   Main Questions Asked: -       How did you come up with the idea of becoming a networking ambassador and helping people make connections at conferences?   -       What is the ‘pivot'? -       Talk about how to deal with collecting business cards at a conference. -       Should we be strategic in who we take a business card from? -       What are your tips of the best kind of business card to have and what information to include? -       What are the ways people can be memorable at conferences? -       Where do you recommend people fall in the spectrum of how to dress for conferences? -       Share your tips for entrepreneurs who are running their own events and what they should do for networking and relationship building.  -       What do you think about setting up a group for people who will be attending a specific conference?   Key Lessons Learned: -       If you put in the work before you go to the conference there is a greater chance that you will connect with people.   Alone At the Conference -       When you are at a conference and you aren't taking to anyone, don't panic. Be happy to have a moment to yourself.  -       When you look confident and make eye contact, people will approach you. -       If you are alone and focused on your phone or laptop, people will avoid you as they will think you don't want to talk or be interrupted.   The Pivot -       When you are at a conference and find yourself in a conversation clique, make sure to keep your eyes open for people who also want to join the conversation. -       The way to let people into a conversation clique is to let them know there is an open space for them to join the conversation. -       If you are on the outside and are looking to insert yourself into an existing conversation, take in what is going on and look for an opportunity to make a point to add to the conversation.   Business Cards -       Having an idea of your personal goals at the conference makes collecting business cards a different process. -       Before you decide to ask for a card, get a good idea about the person, what they are working on, what's their biggest challenge, and if can you be of assistance to them. -       Ideally the best strategy is to take other people's cards because it gives you the power to take action and contact the other person. -       When you get a card, make sure to write a note on it to remind you of who the person is and why you want to stay connected. -       Receiving a business card is also an opportunity to think of whom within your network you can help other than yourself.   Tips For Your Business Card -       Mike says stay away from glossy business cards as they are difficult to write on. -       Use high-quality heavy stock and use a professional printing service. -       Having a photo on your card is great for after the event, as the person receiving it will have a better chance of remembering who you are.     Dressing for Conferences -       Dress for your comfort level as well as what you are going after. -       Women have the advantage when it comes to accessorizing as our eyes are drawn to the color contrasts. -       For men, you can have a strong pocket square game and forgo the tie.   How to Handle Networking At Your Own Event or Conference -       Get information on the people who will attend your event and find out what they want to get out of it. -       Ask attendees who they would most like to connect with. -       It used to be that attendees wanted to connect with people in their physical geographic location, but now people prefer to connect with others in the same industry.   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned The New Art of Conference Networking Mike Bruny Brand Inside a Brand Move the Crowd: 30 Days of Hip Hop Affirmations to Change Your Life  (book) Entrepreneur Support Services

Superhero Academy Podcast Adam Hammes - Eco-Fluence Superhero Academy Podcast Ep # 31 For full notes and key points, please visit LINKSOON Summary In this podcast, Marc Coppola interviews Adam Hammes, author of 'Stress-Free Sustainability: Leverage Your Emotions, Avoid Burnout and Influence Anyone', a key figure in corporate sustainability programs. Sustainability programs such as 'Garden for Every School' seeks to expand sustainability not just to the schools but to the entire state. They talk about how sustainability can be achieved. People need physical manifestations of the change people want to see in order for the movement to push through. If we don't work on having physical changes through the movement we are trying to pursue, people won't support it. They also talk about how we need both killer bees and sea otters in order to truly see and achieve the sustainability that eco-propagandas want to achieve. Main Questions Asked • How did you become the man that you are now? [04:38] • Can you tell us more about 'Garden for Every School'? [06:10] • What triggered you to care about sustainability? Why are you working in this field? [12:23] • What are you consulting on? What do you do on a day-to-day basis? [21:22] Powerful Quotes • "We have the personal responsibility to changing the world, and creating the world we wish to live in." - Marc Coppola [10:42] • "Every initiative like that needs a Sea Otter. They need someone who's going to organize the group, get really clear on the message, and then just get a shitload of people behind it." - Adam Hammes [43:37] • "It's not through anger, or being a Killer Bee that we're going to create more bees, or sea otters, or all of them. I think we need all of them." - Marc Coppola [44:48] • "If we can do tangible, physical things and we can see the actual change manifests itself even in the smallest ways, that can be symbolic enough that it can ripple into changing the culture, changing the tides, and providing that hope that we need to make that change." - Marc Coppola [51:54] • "Even the smallest things that you're going to do is going to change other people." - Marc Coppola [57:02] Links Mentioned Greenseed greenseed.me Stress-Free Sustainability: Leverage Your Emotions, Avoid Burnout and Influence Anyone amazon.com/Stress-Free-Sustainability-Leverage-Emotions-Influence-ebook/dp/B00O4RVCCU Garden for Every School Contact Information for the Guest, Adam Hammes eco-fluence.com twitter.com/adam_hammes facebook.com/public/Adam-Hammes‎ Come check out more of what we do on www.valhallamovement.com www.superheroacademy.net

Superhero Academy Podcast Drew Beal - Kill The Cup For full notes and key points, please visit LINKSOON Summary In this podcast, Marc Coppola interviews Drew Beal who is part of KillTheCup.com, a nationwide movement on campuses and universities to stop using non-recyclable cups. It is a social media inspired game that rewards people for uploading photos of themselves with reusable cups. By having a fun idea, killing the cup is a movement that is taking the world by storm. They talk about expanding Kill The Cup to several target markets such as independent coffee shops and even the corporate world. They talk about how we can all be part of the movement for people to kill the cup and advocate using reusable cups for everyone sexy, fun, and interesting ways. Main Questions Asked • How and why did Kill The Cup start? [04:13] • What inspired you to particularly take action and establish Kill The Cup? [05:43] • How many people are using reusable cups at the moment? [13:56] • How many people have been participating in Kill The Cup? [17:04] • Why did you start Kill The Cup at universities? [18:40] • How much of Kill The Cup have you envisioned and how much of it just worked out itself? How did this fun idea come to life? [24:48] • How can people be a part of Kill The Cup? [29:16] • What is next for Kill The Cup? [39:29] • What is the one thing you can ask Obama to do? What would you tell him about what you're doing? [52:50] Powerful Quotes • "The millenial generation, as they become the next consumer powerhouse, it is truly their daily habits and their behavior that can really have an impact on our planet's natural environment." - Drew Beal [20:24] • "What we need to do is make sustainability not only mainstream... we have to make it sexy, we have to make it fun, we have to make it interesting." - Marc Coppola [24:12] • "If we are going to change the shape and face of sustainability, we're going to have to change the culture." [43:10] • "There are lots of things consumer can do to reduce our impact on the environment." [54:00] Links Mentioned Valhalla Agency agency.valhallamovement.com Contact Information for the Guest, Drew Beal facebook.com/public/Drew-Beal‎ twitter.com/drew_beal Kill The Cup killthecup.com facebook.com/killthecup Come check out more of what we do on www.valhallamovement.com www.superheroacademy.net

Superhero Academy Podcast Nathaniel Solace - Creator Course For full notes and key points, please visit LINKSOON Summary In this podcast, Marc Coppola interviews Nathaniel Solace, one of the creators of Creator Course, an online course that aims to teach people that you are the creator and manifestor in your life to help you to decide what you believe in and follow your passion. Its goal is to help people be in touch with their emotions, which serve as people's guiding systems that tells people what to do. More than knowing what you are passionate about, Creator Course wants to help people to be actively involved in what you are passionate about. They talk about stress and how it's important to note that stress is inevitable, even in a perfect world. Stress enables our body to handle the situation. They also talk about how we, as people, are moving towards being a community again. Although we've isolated ourselves before, it's evident that we are moving towards connection and collaboration, creating a new and improved community of connected individuals pursuing harmony and true sustainability. If we are looking for answers, we can find it them within ourselves; and if we need help, Creator Course is there to help us. Main Questions Asked • How do you track your stress? [22:10] Powerful Quotes • "We're in this world where you can do anything." - Nathaniel Solace [13:05] • "Follow your bliss." - Jospeh Campbell [16:05] • "Stop thinking about the dream all the time and just that dream. Think about the steps that it takes to get to that dream." - Marc Coppola [18:31] • "Stress itself is giving your body what it needs to handle the situation." - Nathaniel Solace [25:57] Links Mentioned Greenseed greenseed.me Khan Academy khanacademy.org Contact Information for the Guest, Nathaniel Solace nathanielsoalce.com creatorcourse.com Come check out more of what we do on www.valhallamovement.com www.superheroacademy.net

Superhero Academy Podcast Benoit Deschamps - Maison de Pneus Mauricie For full notes and key points, please visit LINKSOON Summary In this podcast, Marc Coppola interviews Benoit Deschamps who not only designed and built his own Earth-ship greenhouse but also is now gearing up to build his personal home for him and his family beginning in Spring 2014. He has been able to put together a wealth of information worth it's weight in gold and then some about making an Earth-ship build come together but also all the considerations, scientific data and info you need to make this a reality for you. He also has an eBook that gives a detailed Earth-ship Biotecture in many ways. There's a whole level of innovation that came out of this idea of building out of tires, and bottle, and cans. Earth-ships are one of many ways to achieving self-sustainability and advocating the sustainability movement as a whole. Main Questions Asked • How did you start working on earth-ships? What inspired you to do this? [01:42] • Are there things that you would've done differently in the construction of your earth-ship? [07:10] • What is the next step to building an earth-ship after finding a suitable land for it? [16:30] • What are you doing? Are you scavenging for used materials? What's your game plan? [24:30] • Who is building your earth-ship? [29:50] • What do you do for a living? [33:47] • What are your thoughts on radical energy sources such as Tesla towers? [35:51] • Will you be using concrete? [37:40] • What do you think is the biggest criticism, other than the concrete, of earth-ships? What are you worried about? [42:18] • How are you dealing with the ventilation and humidity in Quebec? [44:31] • What heating sources will you put in the greenhouse? [49:20] Links Mentioned Mike Reynolds earthship.com earthship.com/blogs/author/biotecture Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) rbq.gouv.qc.ca Earthship-Style House Planning Guide by Benoit Deschamps http://bit.ly/QmBYyK Contact Information for the Guest, Benoit Deschamps facebook.com/benoit.deschamps maisondepneusmauricie.over-blog.com Come check out more of what we do on www.valhallamovement.com www.superheroacademy.net

On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Tom Schwab who is the leader of the e-commerce Hub Spot user group and knows how to build and online business with an inbound strategy. Tom led the growth of Goodbye Crutches, a direct to patient private pay e-commerce business from a regional player to national leader in fewer than three years.       Main Questions Asked -       How did Goodbye Crutches come to be? -       What was the journey from Goodbye Crutches to inbound marketing? -       What is inbound marketing? -       What do you have to say about the relationship that inbound marketing has with content marketing? -       Why is it so important that your marketing focus on the customers pain points? -       What do you say to a business owner who is not taking care of a pain point but is offering something that makes life more pleasurable? -       Talk about your strategy to boost the lifetime value of a customer. -       How is your company helping e-commerce do more customer nurturing? -       How do you go from being self-employed to having a salable business?   Key Lessons Learned   Inbound Marketing -       Inbound marketing is permission-based marketing. You are basically asking, “How can I be helpful to people who have a question and make it so I'm the thought leader there to answer?”  -       The difference between permission-based marketing and content marketing is life, “Fishing for Sharks and only using Chum.”  Sure, it will attract them but how do you get them on the hook? -       Inbound marketing is about listening to the customer and figuring out the tests to improve so you can give the customer more content.   The Decision Process -       70% of the buying decision is made before you contact the company (research via asking friends, referrals, Google etc.) -       A person will go through the entire sales process and be attracted by great content and offers.   Inbound Marketing vs Content Marketing -       Inbound marketing is a strategy and content marketing is a piece of that strategy. -       You need content in order to communicate with people (blog, videos, podcast) but still need the engine behind it. -       Social media is there to amplify your blogs, testimonials, responding to Tweets and LinkedIn. -       The ‘real' customer feedback not found in a survey or comment but via looking through your analytics and seeing what people actually do on your site. They may say they love your e-mails but are they actually opening them and driving sales?   Podcast Guests -       When you are a guest on a podcast that is the content. -       Every piece of content should have a purpose so you need to always have a call to action at the end. -       If you are on a podcast just to be there then that is content marketing. However, if you drive the audience to a sale then that is an inbound strategy.   Focusing on Pain Points -       Nobody wants your product or service they just want the relief or solution. -       If you only focus on the product you won't connect with the customer. -       You need to identify the ideal buyer persona (the person you want to serve) including the demographics, psychographics. Basically you want to know who they are and what they need from you. -       Even a pleasure point is a pain point (how can I spend more quality time etc.) -       Always focus on the reasons not the product. -       The challenge is making the customer feel the pain point so their urgency to buy.   The Lifetime Value of a Customer and Boosting Sales -       It has never been easier to make a dollar online but it has also never been harder to make a profit. -       The profit of any company comes with the lifetime value and the brand. -       Starbucks sells coffee for $4 a cup but the lifetime value of the average customer is around $40K. -       Getting a customer is just the first step. What can you do to nurture the relationship so they continue to buy and become brand advocates? -       You need to focus on the lifetime value. -       It's much easier to keep a customer and raise the value of them than it is to get a new customer.   From Self-employment to Salable Business -       Put systems in place to allow you to do things without trading dollars for time. -       Remember, content is king and context is God. -       Ask, “What could I take that I currently do that I can package together and put a price on and give as an easy download?” -       Figure out how you can monetize long term and offer things like downloads, courses, and checklists. -       Making these changes will take you from a self-employed hourly worker to running a business.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Inbound for E Commerce tom@inboundforecommerce.com Inbound Movement (Interview Connections offer) Hub Spot Goodbye Crutches   Interview Connections  Entrepreneur Support Services

On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Jeannie Spiro, who is an online business coach and speaker specializing in helping coaches, consultants, and small business owners design, sell, and profit from their signature talk. As the founder of the profitable Create Profitable Signature Talk Systems, Jeannie teaches her five step formula to getting clients from speaking. If you want to know how to craft a magnetic talk to attract clients and sell your product, programs, and services then this is a fantastic podcast for you!   Main Questions Asked -       How did you get into business and learn about the underground world of being an entrepreneur? -       Did you ever say, “I want to be an entrepreneur” or was it more about “I want to create a life that is best for my family”? -       How did you decide to make speaking the main part of your business? -       What was the journey of starting the business and doing it on the side, to now where you have programs, courses, presentations and are teaching people? -       What are your thoughts on teleseminars, webinars, and podcasts? -       What is the best way to start speaking? -       Go through what someone should have prepared in their speaker kit to send to a host. -       Why is it important for bios to be written in third person? -       How can you find speaking opportunities online? -       How can somebody prepare for speaking on a webinar and what are some communication tips on sounding engaging? -       How do you take speaking opportunities and turn them into paying clients? -       Draw a simple outline of what that funnel would look like. -       What is the ‘free offer?'   Key Lessons Learned -       A lot of people earn their living in their ‘excellence zone', which is just under the ‘genius zone.' -       The genius zone is when you are living in your total creative zone where anything can flow to you. -       Whatever you do make sure you ‘talk your walk!' -       A lot of people are moving into webinars because the audience is engaged. However, the learning curve is bigger than with other mediums. -       It's important to get your voice ‘out there' through a teleseminar. This is your starting point and is effective but need to be specific (subject or target audience.) -       The more refined your subject or target market is the more you can get people to be actively engaged.    Getting Started As a Speaker -       Getting interviewed and speaking is a great way to grow your business. You need to figure out how to establish credibility to people talent bookers. -       The best way to start is by getting interviewed and come up with a couple of questions you can be asked on your topic. -       Ask people who have a similar list and community to yours to interview you. -       Get yourself ‘out there' and let people know you have an expertise. Provide them with your list of questions and get the word out. -       The key is to have your link to your free offer and get listeners onto your site and mailing list.   What's in the Speaker Kit? -       Create a word document with an introduction note including information on your socials and Skype. -       Include one or two professional promo photos of yourself, a short bio, a long bio, your talk title, and interview questions about your talk title. -       Make sure your questions include action oriented, result oriented, benefit oriented bullets that connect back to what your talk is about. -       It's important to do your bio in third person so someone else can read it out. -       Third person bios also give the perception that you have a bigger business that you might actually have.   Finding Speaking Opportunities -       Look at your competitors, what shows and formats are they are being interviewed on and where they are speaking. -       Set up lists in Twitter and segment to see where they are speaking. -       Pay attention to your Facebook newsfeed and sponsored posts (take screenshots as reminders to follow up.)   Preparing to Speak on a Webinar or Teleseminar -       Provide your presentation to the host of the webinar or teleseminar (pretend as if its your own show.) -       To stay engaged, you as the speaker need to have an elevated voice with more volume and energy. -       Prior to getting on your webinar or teleseminar get your energy going (this will improve your performance.)   -       To keep people engaged, strategically design your presentation to pull people in. -       You can ask engaging questions after you've presented your information e.g “pick up your pen.” -       To keep people on promise them something at the end of the presentation e.g a piece of free content or link at the end. -       Sit up straight and smile when you are being interviewed or presenting.   Speaking to Get Clients -       Your ‘talk funnel' starts with you presenting or doing the interview and getting people to your mailing list. -       Cultivate that relationship to the next level (your own presentation, workshop, webinar, live event etc.) -       The interview is the beginning of your talk funnel and the rest is up to you. -       What the funnel looks like: -       A) Opt in - Get free gift (leads to conversation/ consultation) -       B) Invite them to an evergreen presentation or webinar.   The Free Offer -       Needs to be directly connected to your presentation and what you offer in your business. -       This is the first taste of free information. -       When they get to know you better give them even more information.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Jeannie Spiro (website) Jeannie Spiro's Free Cheat Sheet    Business Girlfriends Online (podcast) The Big Leap (book) Melanie Benson Strick Interview Connections    Entrepreneur Support Services

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Jason Hartman, who has generated more than ten million dollars in income without any sponsors or advertisers. Jason has interviewed more than two thousand guests across his nineteen shows at Hartman Media. In this episode, he reveals the behind the scenes of podcasting in preparing for interviews, dealing with difficult guests, knowing your audience, and monetizing.      Main Questions Asked: -       How many shows do you have? -       How did you come up with all the different show ideas? Are some specifically business shows to generate income, and are others passion and hobby? -       Talk about becoming a good interviewer, and why you don't do a lot of small talk. -       What do you do when a guest is difficult? -       Have you ever had a guest ask you to not air their interview because they didn't think it was good? -       How do you prepare for your interviews? -       Do you write questions, or does it all come up based on what your subject says? -       Have you ever had a time when you didn't know what to ask a guest, and what did you do? -       What is the funnel that happens from the podcast into your business?   Key Lessons Learned: -       25-30% of Jason's guest interviews are reused. -       Every tenth episode is a general life success topic. -       The best way to learn something is to teach it. -       As a member of the media, you can offer guests exposure to your audience.   Know Your Audience -       As a podcaster, it's important to understand who your customer is. -       The audience gives you their time (the most valuable commodity any of us have), and small talk is not beneficial to the listener. -       Remember the customer is the listener, not the guest. -       It's all about producing great content, building relationships with listeners, and funneling them into the back end for offers. -       If you do too many sponsorships, it will turn people off. All sponsorships should be relevant and curated.   Act As A Media Outlet -       Take the position of a media reporter and a watchdog (not a lap dog). -       If a guest glosses over something, sometimes it is important to ensure they answer the question. -       If you take the approach of being an investigative reporter, you will deliver a lot more value to the customer (audience). -       As a host and outlet, your role is to be a gatekeeper and save the listeners' time.      Difficult Guests -       If the guest is bad, Jason says he simply won't air the show. -       As a media outlet, you get to make the choice on what media you want to air. -       It is your choice whether you want to edit it or not air the show at all. -       As a guest, it's not your chance to do a commercial but rather to provide high quality editorial content that provides real value to the listener. In doing this, the listener will view you as credible, and they will check you out.   Preparing for Interviews -       If you are willing to be controversial and disagree, you can still have a great interview. -       Podcasts are there to report on things and not just promote.  -       Hosts will often ask their guest prior to interview, “Are there any questions that are off limits?”   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Hartman Media Jason Hartman The Longevity and Bio Hacking Show The Creating Wealth Show Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive (book) She Podcasts Interview Connections  Entrepreneur Support Services

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview communications strategist Maggie Patterson, who works with entrepreneurs and corporations to help them craft intelligent communications strategies. Maggie believes that all the marketing in the world won't get us anywhere if you don't have the right message in place, which is where stories come in!  Maggie helps her clients figure out what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. She is the host of Moxie Marketing podcast, and has more than 15 years of experience. If you want to know why stories work in selling your product or service, then you must listen to this podcast!   Main Questions Asked: -       How do stories help us sell our products and services? -       How do you weave stories in when you are giving valuable information? -       How do you help people figure out what stories are relevant and will help them? -       How do you tell a story that is average and doesn't seem relevant? -       Do you have any thoughts on social media flaws and saying too much? -       Talk about your Moxie Marketing podcast and building that platform. -       What is your experience in growing an audience but not obsessing over it?   Key Lessons Learned:   Storytelling -       There is a definite science behind why stories work. -       A story activates multiple parts of your brain. Your imagination fills in the blanks, and turns a story into a memory. -       If you hear about facts and logic, only two zones are activated, which are rational areas. -       Stories stay with us longer than facts and figures. -       A micro story is adding something memorable that creates a connection with the audience.   Entrepreneurs and Stories -       As entrepreneurs, we get stuck on the idea that the story should be about us.   -       Ask yourself where you can start to share your personality (social media or blog posts?). -       Start to look at how your experiences fit into your personal story. -       We have a tendency to get stuck in the ‘Hero's Journey,' which gets tired.   Finding Your Story -       No matter how average or boring we think our story is, we all have defining moments. -       Due to the stories we consume, we now expect them to all be inspirational. -       Implicit egoism is people liking and wanting to connect with people just like themselves. -       Never underestimate the power of the relatable story. -       Define what your story will be and how you will show up in the world. -       You don't have to expose all your ‘dirty laundry.' Storytelling is always done on your terms.   Vulnerability, Social Media and Business -       We have been trained on the idea that we need to be vulnerable and transparent. However, this can go too far and put you in ‘victim territory,' which can be a bad thing for your business. -       If you are sharing too much online or stories that are not appropriate to your business, you could attract the wrong type of clients or alienate existing clients. -       If you are ‘free and loose' with telling your stories, start to think and post about what is impactful. -       Remember that you can't own every issue and niche. -       Everything about you online reflects on you as a business owner.   Podcasting -       If you are looking at a podcast as a marketing tool, then get focused on the purpose and mission of values rather than the downloads. -       Make sure you know where your podcast fits in with your business. -       Success comes in so many different ways and can only be defined by you. -       Remember every download is someone letting you in.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned  Maggie Patterson Marketing Moxie Podcast John Lee Dumas Interview Connections    Entrepreneur Support Services

On this episode of Rhodes to Success I interview Adam Hommey, founder and creator or Help My Website Sell and The Business Creators Institute. Adam's focus is on helping you emancipate the power of information by converting more social media fans and followers. His goals is to turn website visitors into prospects and customers by simplifying your internet marketing technology. In doing this, you can get more customers, make more money and make a bigger difference. If you want to know how 1 hour of content can be used in 22 ways then you need to listen to this podcast!   Main Questions Asked -       How did you end up founding Help My Website Sell? -       What are web conversions? -       What does multi-purposing and content marketing have to do with web conversions? -       What is the model where 1 hour of content can be used 22 different ways? -       What kinds of entrepreneurs have you had a lot of success with?   Key Lessons Learned - When you want to take things to the next level its important to invest and implement systems to increase conversion rates   Web Conversions -       When people who visit your web pages do what you want them to do -       Sign up for your webinar, product for sale and buy it, register for your event, comment on your blog, listen to a podcast are some examples of actions taken -       Just getting traffic to your website is not effective, you actually need visitors who are prequalified, prepped and pumped -       Prequalified- addressing the right people -       Prepped- when click on link they know what to expect -       Pumped- they are excited to be there so they are waiting for page to load to take action -       It will take an average of 9 months to a year before someone contact you after they first hear about you   One Hour of Content Used Twenty Two Ways Create content – Host ateleseminar orwebinar. This will give you the basis to create the content in 22 different ways. You need something that has video, audio, and something to be transcribed into text. Make sure your webinar is structured (bullet points, interview questions etc.) Video – replay in streaming mp4 (can also play on mobile device) Create an autopilot webinar using software such as Evergreen Business Carve video into little segments Create optimized videos on YouTube Take video segments and add to blog posts on your website Edit video into auto responders Embed the video in your newsletter Place video in membership site and sell access Audio – render out the file so you have audio only using a program such as Sony Vegas Upload audio to iTunes for podcast Pre-schedule audio using Instant Teleseminar Take audio and put over still images on YouTube, Vimeo, and Daily Motion using a program such as Camtasia Take audio and put it with the transcript to make an information product for people to download at a reasonable price Audio can be a bonus for existing products you are already selling Transcription - Hire a transcriptionist to create word document e.g Magiscript Find 7-10 topic areas from the content and make into blog posts Take each blog post and adapt into script for YouTube, iTunes, E-zine, Newsletters, feature article or a personal note Each blog post can be a conversation starter for Facebook, Twitter & Linked In discussion groups. A 1hr transcript can provide 30-50 status updates. Turn your transcript into E-book Turn multiple webinars into a full published book Use transcript as foundation notes for public speaking presentations or podcasts   Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   Links to Resources Mentioned   The Dream Business Coaching (Jim Palmer)   Help My Website Sell Higher Profits Webinars Business Creators Institute adamh@helpmywebsitesell.com   Schedule With Adam Business Creators Radio Show Evergreen Business Sony Vegas Instant Teleseminar Magiscript   Click to Tweet   1hr of content used 22 different ways: Find out how on this episode of Rhodes to Success @moresalesonline @jessrhodesess RTSpodcast.com/adam   How to improve your #WebConversions with @moresalesonline @jessrhodesess RTSpodcast.com/adam #podcast   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

Superhero Academy Podcast Albert Bates - Sustainability Tech For full notes and key points, please visit LINKSOON Summary In this podcast, Marc Coppola, Lawrence and Nick interviews Albert Bates, a legend in terms of sustainability, or resilience, as he prefers to put it. He has had an experience in Tennessee as his post-graduate education on sustainability. What he learned in living in the farm was how to be creatively adaptable. You learn to adapt creatively to fill the needs from the minimum that you can use. We're going to have to be really creative really fast to be able to sustain 21st century technologies using less energy. We have to act now if we really want to become more sustainable or resilient. We need to cut back on consumer goods. We need to save more money in order to balance out the costs for more sustainable products. We've become so detached with the world that supports us. People are going to do what's easy and people are going to do what's most pleasurable. We need to advertise and educate people to make sustainability cool and sexy so they would support it and take action. Main Questions Asked • How did you start being involved in sustainability? [01:11] • Would you say that sustainability and adaptability are synonymous? [08:35] • What do you think should the average person be more sustainable or resilient with? [10:58] • What is your definition of sustainability or resilience? [11:39] • Do you think solar energy is the answer? Or wind? Or a combination? [19:48] • What are the things that we can do today energy-wise that will make us shift in the best possible way? [19:52] • Why isn't the technology of turning garbage into electricity, which can be seen in Copenhagen, replicated across the world? [23:22] • Can we change our economic system to motivate people to be more energy-efficient? [28:22] • What are your thoughts on the education side of things? How can we shift our education to make the change to sustainability happen? [38:43] • What are your thoughts on branding, such as making sustainability sexy? [39:30] Powerful Quotes • "You start to learn to adapt creatively to fill the needs from the very minimum you can use." - Albert Bates [10:40] Links Mentioned Sirius Ecovillage siriuscommunity.org Contact Information for the Guest, Albert Bates youtube.com/peaksurferalbert thegreatchange.com Come check out more of what we do on www.valhallamovement.com www.superheroacademy.net